If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Hanging in a pickup bed ?!?

I did a search to see if this might have been covered before but came up empty-handed, so I'll apologize in advance if this is an old topic . . .

I'm wondering if anyone has rigged a setup to hang their hammock in the back of their truck? I got to looking at the bed of my full-size Chevy the other day (you know the talk about scoping out trees - always looking for the next hang spot) and realized that it's about 10' measured corner to corner diagonally. Yeah, its kinda short, but could still work if hung in a way that eliminated the suspension length.

I'm picturing a post at the two corners, just high enough to keep you from dragging tail when sleeping. Maybe some way to utilize the stake pockets found around the bed? Do newer trucks still have these? (Or even 8' beds?!?)

Just curious if it's been done or discussed before - if not, I may have to step up and innovate!

That would be killer... I've thought about it but I have a 5.5' bed. You could also think about something that slides into the hitch receiver (thinking about a bed extender or something)... just needs to be tall enough. Then figure out the front support. If you could use a bed extender you might be able to hang two hammocks from it and go to each of the front corners.

Hah ha, yeah I've got a '73 bus and there really isn't room to hang inside with the camper setup its got . . .
I'm looking for a way to quickly set up in the back of my open-bed pickup, say, maybe over lunch break or sometime like that.

Scooterbrown, Neat idea about the hitch mount extender for short beds. Probably could hang two this way -- COOL!
Oldgringo, I agree about normally needing an overhead spreader bar to handle the compressive forces. But I'm wondering if there's a slick way to attach to the bed so that wasn't needed. I know the bed could take it, it's just a matter of figuring out the connections... maybe if the vertical post had two horizontal pcs about 2' long that would rest on the top of the bed sides, then anchor the post into the stake pocket to resist uplift --- hmmmmm ?